Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-09-24

OF no use. AT laSt, whether IL was her gaze,
| or the perfume on her hair, or what do not
know, but l began to feel as though was
being mesnerized at last she reused her
| self
'Incuhu, she said, Lowest thou powers
~ replied that / supposed all men loved
| power of one sort or another
"'Thou shalt have it, she said Lowest
| thou wealth.
| Il said / liked wealth for what it brought
| Thou shalt have it, she said. And lowest
thou beautyf
ITO this replied that was very fond of
statuary and architeepre, or something Of
| that sort, at which she frowned, and there
was a pause. Fly this time my nerves were
| on such n stretch that / was shaking like
/ leaf knew that something awful vas going
| to happen, but she held me under kind OF
| spell, and could not help myself.
"'Incubu, she said at length 'wouldst thou
| be a kings Listen, wouldst thou be kingl
| Behold, stranger, am minded to make thee
king of all zu-Vendisay and husband of So
rails of the Night Nay, peace, and hear me.
To no man among my people had thus
| opened out my secret heart, but thou art an
| outlander, and therefore do speak without
shame, knowing all / have to offer and how
hard it had been to thee to ask. See, crown
l ASo ob Wy ASt" ny ASA6 AhSoNu3 0t4 Win
| that fortune q woman whom some have
wished to WOO. Now mayst thou answer
"'Oh, Sorais,' 1 said, pray do not speak
thus'-you see / had not time to pick and
! choose my words-'because you are putting
| us botk in an awkward position. am going
10 marry your sister Nyleptha, Sorais, and 1
| love her.
"Next moment it struck me that | had said
| an awful thing, and l looked up to see the
J results When I spoke, Sorais face was
hidden in her hands, and as my words reached
| her she st,wly raised it, and l shrank back
dismayed. 1t was ashy white and her eyes
| were flaming. She got on TO her feet and
seemed to be choking, but the awful thing
was that she was SO quiet about it ALL Once
| she looked at a side table on which lay dag
ger, and from it to me, as though she thought
/ of killing me; but she did not take 1t up. At
last she spoke one word, and one only
| "'Gor
"And went, and glad enough was to get
| out of it, and here I am. Give me another
cup of wine, there's good fellow, and tell
| me what is to be DONE"
| shook my head, for the affair was indeed
serious. As one of the poets says,
Hell hath no fury like woman scorned,
more especially if the woman is queen and
Sorais, and indeed fearedsthe very worst,
| including imminent danger to ourselves.
| ''Nyleptha must be told of all this at once,n
said "and perhaps l had better tell her;
she might receive your account with sus-
| picion Who is captain of her guard to-
night"
| "Good"
| every well, then, there will be no chance
| of her being got at. Don't look surprised.
| don't think that her sister would stick at
| that. suppose one must tell Good of what
| has happened"
| "Oh, / don't know" said Sir Henry. at
| would hurt his feelings, poor fellowl You
see, he takes a lively personal interest in
| Sorais"
| "That's true; and after all perhaps there is
| no need to tell him. He will find out the
truth soon enough. Now, you mark my
| words: Sorais will throw in her lot with
| Nasta, who is sulking up in the north there,
1 and there will be such a war as has not been
known in Zu-Vendis for centuries. Look
| therein and pointed to two court messengers
who were speeding away from the door of
| Sorais private apartments. "Now follow
| me- and ran up stairway into an outlook
| tower that rose from the roof of our quarters,
taking the spy glass with me, and looked out
over the palace wall. The first thing we saw
was one of the messengers speeding towards
| the temple, bearing without doubt, the
| queens word to the High Priest Agon, but
| for the other searched in vain. Presently,
| however, / spied horseman rushing furi
| ously through the northern gate of the city,
| and in him recognized the other messenger.
"Ahr' said, "Sorais is a woman of spirit.
| She is acting at once, and will strike quick
and hard. You have insulted her, my boy,
| and blood will flow in rivers before the stain
| is washed away, and yours with 1t IL she can
| get hold of you. Well, I'm Off to Nyleptha.
| Just stop where you are, old fellow, and try
| to get your nerves straight again. You'll
| need them all, / can tell you, unless / have
! observed human nature in the rough for fifty
! years for. nothing" And off went accord
| ingly.
| / gained audience of the queen without
| trouble She was expecting Curtis, and was
| not best pleased to see my mahogany colored
| face instead.
as there aught wrong with my lord, Ma
| cumazahn, that he waits not upon mef Say,
| is he sickP'
| said that he was well enough, and then,
| without further ado plunged into my story
| and told it from beginning to end. Oh, what
| rage she flew intol II was sight TO see
| her, she looked so lovely.
| "How darest thou come TO me with such
| talel" she cried. at is lie to say that my
| lord was making love to Sorais, my sister"
pardon me, o queen" answered; II said
| that Sorais was making love to your lord"
"Spin me no spiders webs Of words. Is
| not the thing the same thinga The one Civ
eth, the other taketh; but the gift passes and
what matters it which is the most guilty.
| Sorais--oh, hate her l-Soraisi is queen and
| my sister. She had not stopped SO low had
he not shown the way. Oh, truly hath the
| poet said that man is like snake, whom to
touch is poison, and whom none can hold.n
The remark, . queen, is excellent but
| methinks thou hast misread the poet. Nylep-
| tha," / wen: on, ''tlou knowest well that thy
| words are empty fCOlishness-that this is no